Data is the lifeblood of healthcare. It’s how providers communicate, collaborate, and coordinate care for their patients. But without a secure way to share that data between organizations, important information falls through the cracks.

It’s difficult for hospitals to provide seamless care when so many different types of systems are in place from one organization to another. And it can be even more challenging when they don’t have access to certain information about a patient who has been transferred or discharged from their facility because they didn’t know it existed in the first place! That’s why secure data sharing is critical for healthcare institutions.

Data Sharing Between Healthcare Organizations

The ability to share PHI between care providers could be crucial in various circumstances, including but not limited to disease outbreaks, disaster relief efforts, or general clinical trials. Yet key obstacles remain in place that hinder secure data sharing despite these potential benefits. As a result, the proposed legislation would require new mandates for data sharing between healthcare and across networks while allowing for certain situations in which data sharing would still be prohibited.

Benefits of Healthcare Data Sharing

There are many reasons why sharing data between healthcare organizations could prove beneficial for patient care, particularly in the following scenarios.

• Disease Outbreak or Pandemic – If an outbreak of a particular flu strain or disease is spreading throughout the country, it would be helpful to have access to information about which hospitals have patients who were diagnosed with the illness so that other institutions can quickly prepare and get ahead of the curve.
• Disasters & Emergencies – In emergencies such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks, having real-time access to electronic health records could help institutions provide better treatment and send doctors and nurses where they’re needed most.
• Clinical Trials – When clinical trials become available at more than one site (such as through collaboration or partnership), sites need to be able to access data about each other’s participants so that they can provide the best care possible. 

How Secure Data Sharing Would Work

Federal legislation would give providers a wide range of opportunities to share their electronic health records with other network organizations and/or healthcare institutions while maintaining security and privacy.